The Warning
by suzie2b
Summary: The Rat Patrol must warn the British navy they're heading into a trap.


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **The Warning**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **The Rat Patrol was once again behind enemy lines in Algeria. Allied High Command had gotten word that the Germans had put together a strategic plan for an attack on Tunis. Troy and his men had been sent to Constantine to find out what those plans were.**

 **Troy and Moffitt had gone into the German base at Constantine under the guise of couriers making a delivery to the commanding officer. At headquarters they were told that Oberst Bauer was out, but they could leave the delivery in his office. That's where they discovered the plans. Moffitt quickly took pictures of the maps and documents with a Micro 16 camera he'd acquired, which was small enough to carry in a pocket. He had thought it might come in handy at some point.**

 **After the pictures were developed, Troy and Moffitt studied what the Germans were planning. They learned that the attack wasn't to be on Tunis itself, but the British navy. The Germans had found out that the ships would be passing the Algerian coast under the cover of a moonless night on their way to the port at Tunis.**

 **Moffitt pointed out a spot on the map and said, "Looks like the German navy will be waiting for them in this area."**

 **Troy sighed as he thought, then said, "We're out of range to contact headquarters at Ras Tanura and it's too dangerous to contact Tunis."**

 **Hitch suggested, "We could set up a relay to get the information to Captain Boggs. Then he can call Tunis."**

" **There's not enough time and there's too much of a chance the Germans would pick up the relay. We have to figure a way to signal the British navy that they're steaming into a trap."**

 **Tully said, "I'm reading one of Moffitt's books. It says there's a lighthouse in Bona that was built in the 1800s."**

 **Moffitt asked, "What good does that do us?"**

" **Well, since the war started lighthouses have gone dark. They're only used as watchtowers. What if we could get that light on to warn those ships?"**

 **Troy grinned and looked at Moffitt. "Being around you has done him some good."**

 **Moffitt nodded with a smile. "He's a fast study."**

 **Troy looked back at Tully. "Good idea. But we're going to have to hurry. Those ships will be coming through tonight."**

" **If we hurry, we can be at Bona in about two hours."**

 **##################**

 **When they arrived outside of Bona, Troy and Moffitt went to the top of a hill to take a look around. With binoculars, they could see the bustling little coastal city. Bona itself had no base, but there was a small compliment of German soldiers stationed there to man the lighthouse as a watchtower.**

 **Troy and Moffitt located the lighthouse that sat above the beach and could see there were lookouts on the catwalk.**

 **Spotting a road that skirted the beach, Troy said, "We'll get as close to the beach as we dare and hide the jeeps. There should be some cover along that coastal road."**

 **After stopping the jeeps in the trees alongside the road, Hitch and Tully covered them with the camouflage tarps. Then they all sat down to wait.**

 **Moffitt said quietly, "We've got a few hours until dark."**

 **Hitch asked, "What time are those British ships due?"**

" **Between 11:30 and midnight. We should have enough time to get to the lighthouse and give a signal."**

 **##################**

 **With no moon the darkness was complete. Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully moved quickly the couple of miles to the lighthouse without entering the city. It was quiet except for the waves rolling in on the beach. There were dim lights glowing in the keeper's house about 100 yards from the lighthouse. No doubt the Germans stationed there had taken it over.**

 **The beam of a flashlight came on ahead of them and they ducked behind a group of boulders. A German guard could be seen near the lighthouse door checking his watch. When the light went out, they could just make the soldier out as he walked slowly away from the door to make a circuit of the surrounding area.**

 **They continued on to the door of the lighthouse and silently went inside. The light that met them was dull and yellow. A staircase spiraled up to the lamp room and catwalk. There was a supply closet, a table and four chairs … that was it.**

 **Troy said to Moffitt, "Hitch and I will go up. You and Tully wait here."**

 **Tully asked, "What if someone comes in?"**

 **Troy said, "Hide in the closet. Whatever you do, don't let 'em up those stairs."**

 **Hitch followed Troy up the stairs. The hatch at the top led into the lamp room. They stayed low as they looked for the guards outside on the catwalk. Though the wind at ground level were fairly calm, they could hear heavy gusts whistle through and around the lighthouse at the higher elevation. Hitch saw a shadowy form moving outside and silently brought Troy's attention to it.**

 **They had seen two guards earlier in the day, so they were looking for the second when the glass door into the lamp room opened. The guard walked in, closed the door, and headed for the stairs. Troy reached out and grabbed his leg, pulling it out from under him. With a gasp the guard fell head first through the hatch and began a long tumble down the stairs.**

 **At the bottom, Moffitt and Tully heard the clatter on the metal stairs as the guard fell and watched as the body got caught up in the railing. Moffitt said quietly, "You'd better go bring him down."**

 **Tully moved up quickly and didn't need to check for a pulse. The guard's neck of obviously broken. Tully got the body disentangled from the railing and let it fall the rest of the way to the floor. Then he and Moffitt dragged it into the supply closet.**

 **Not wanting to alert the guards on the ground Troy holstered his gun and brought out the knife he kept in his right boot. The guard on the catwalk was standing at the railing just outside the door, staring out at the dark sea. Hitch stayed where he was as Troy quietly opened the door and reached for the guard, plunging the blade into his back. After dragging the body inside, he closed the door and set about lighting the lamp.**

 **The lighting mechanism had been modified to electric just before the war, but hadn't been used in months due to blackout regulations. Hitch primed the generator and pulled the starter cord. The engine sputtered, but didn't turn over. He tried again and still nothing.**

 **Troy was preparing the lamp when a third guard they hadn't known was there made an appearance. In the darkness and between gusts of wind the guard had heard someone trying to start the generator. Curious as to who would be doing it he looked into the lamp room to see Troy's dark form at the lamp.**

 **Hitch saw the guard as the door opened and rushed at him before he could shoot the sergeant in the back. However, his momentum when he hit the guard sent them both back and over the catwalk's railing. The guard fell to the rocky beach below, but Hitch managed to catch himself and was dangling precariously by one hand as he tried to get a foothold on the air around him.**

 **Troy grabbed Hitch's wrist and silently willed the young man to hang on. As the sergeant struggled to pull him up, Tully appeared next to Troy and reached down over the side. "Hitch, grab hold!"**

 **After a couple failed attempts, Hitch finally got ahold of Tully's hand and he and Troy hauled the private over the railing. While Hitch sat on the catwalk to catch his breath, Tully hurried to the generator and got it started after several pulls on the cord. Troy threw a couple of switches and the light came to life.**

 **Tully pulled Hitch to his feet as Troy said, "Okay, let's get outta here before those Germans downstairs realize this light's on."**

 **As the three of them hurried down the stairs, Moffitt was keeping watch through the slit of the slightly opened door. Without a word he slid the lock into place as the others went outside and before making good their escape, Moffitt closed the heavy door before he jammed the blade of his penknife in the lock and broke it off.**

 **##################**

 **It didn't take long for Troy, Moffitt, Hitch, and Tully to get back to where they'd hidden the jeeps. They stood on the dark road above the beach and watched the lighthouse shoot its beam out over the water in thirty second intervals. They prayed the British navy would see it and understand. It was maybe ten minutes later when the light abruptly went out.**

 **Troy said quietly, "We've done all we can. Let's hope it worked."**

 **Tully asked, "Do you think the Germans will be looking for us?"**

" **They'll be looking for someone all right. But we'll be long gone before they figure out who did it."**

 **As they walked to the jeeps, Tully noticed his friend rubbing his arm. "You okay, Hitch?"**

" **Just sore. You and sarge saved my life. Thanks."**

" **It's just a good thing Moffitt sent me up there to see what was taking you two so long."**

 **##################**

 **Two days later the jeeps pulled into the border town of In Guezzam for the night. There was an old man there by the name of Abdul. He had no like for the German forces after they had killed his family and had hidden the Rats before. Straw mattresses were laid out on the basement floor with blankets, and four very grateful allied soldiers got a good night's rest for the first time in days.**

 **Once they were within range, Troy sent a coded message to Captain Boggs.**

 **When they finally got back to base at Ras Tanura, they were told that Tunis had contacted Major Gleason. The British ships had seen the warning. Thanks to that and the moonless night, they had been able to steer clear of the German navy and get to the port at Tunis within their timetable.**

 **Captain Boggs said, "You took a big chance trying to warn the navy like you did."**

 **Troy said, "Once we discovered what the Germans were planning, we had to do something, captain. And we didn't have time to get permission."**

" **Well, I'm glad you took the initiative. Major Gleason has told me that High Command is quite interested in reading your reports and reviewing the pictures you took of those plans you found in** **Constantine** **."**

 **Moffitt nodded. "You'll have everything as soon as possible, sir."**

 **Hitch was rubbing his arm again and the captain said, "Sounds like you took quite a jolt when you went over that railing, private. Maybe you should have that arm looked at by a doctor."**

 **Hitch said, "Yes, sir. Might be a good idea."**

 **Captain Boggs smiled. "I've been authorized to give you all a three day pass … starting first thing tomorrow." He looked at Tully. "And that includes Charley."**

 **Tully grinned. "Thank you, sir."**

" **Now, Major Gleason and I were checking maps of the area around Bona and that lighthouse. I realize it was a moonless night, but it's hard to believe you got in and out as easily as you say you did."**

 **Without thinking Hitch said, "Who was there, sir, you or us?"**


End file.
